The Graduation Projects Fair and Competition, organized by the Industrial Engineering Department of Abdullah Gül University (AGU), featured student projects conducted in collaboration with Bellona, Kumtel, Metro Market, Simfer, Stryker, and Yataş companies.
Held annually, this year's event was the fifth edition and took place at the Rectorate Conference Hall in Sümer Campus. The event began with a music performance and dance show, followed by project presentations and jury evaluations.
The projects, which were carried out by students in collaboration with Bellona, Kumtel, Metro Market, Simfer, Stryker, and Yataş during the 2021-2022 Fall and Spring semesters, were displayed and competed. These projects were supervised by the Department Head, Prof. Dr. İbrahim Akgün, and faculty members Dr. Selçuk Gören, Dr. Gökmen Kara, and Dr. İsmet Söylemez.
The jury consisted of Prof. Dr. Emel Kızılkaya Aydoğan from Erciyes University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Özgür Demirtaş from Kayseri University, Assoc. Prof. Dr. Oğuzhan Arık from Nuh Naci Yazgan University, Funda Kızıklı, Deputy General Manager of Akprofil, Oktay Karaca, Deputy General Manager of BRN Yatak, and Hüseyin Karadeli, Deputy General Manager of Mondi.
As a result of the jury evaluation, the “Three-Dimensional Box Packing” project, conducted at Bellona under the consultancy of Mustafa Konuk and managed by Özgenur Kaplayıcı, Ahmet Güzelce, and Melik Fırat Karaboğa, took first place. The “Flexible Workshop-Type Scheduling with Dependent Setup Times” project, carried out at Kumtel under the consultancy of Muzaffer Boğazköy and led by Hakan Kocabaş, Ensar Uslu, and Gamzenur Arıkan, placed second. The “Warehouse Optimization with Scenario-Based Stochastic Programming Aimed at Increasing Availability under Order Uncertainty,” conducted at Metro Market with the consultancy of Celal Kahraman and led by Özgül Demirel and Kübra Kurtoğlu, was awarded third place.
The competition, sponsored by Arkopa and Kipaş Holding, concluded with cash prizes for the students who participated in the top three projects.
Prof. Dr. Cengiz Yılmaz, the Rector, emphasized the importance of collaboration between industry and universities, praising the Industrial Engineering Department’s successful implementation of project-based education. Prof. Yılmaz noted that graduates quickly find jobs and work at reputable companies.
Prof. Yılmaz also commented on the music and dance performances, stating that they were a great example of how well-rounded the graduates are.
Prof. Dr. İbrahim Akgün, the Department Head, emphasized the importance of university-industry collaboration since the department's establishment, mentioning that the graduation projects are one of the mechanisms designed to foster this collaboration. He also pointed out that the graduation projects are the final stage of the university-industry cooperation chain, which includes internships and industry-focused courses.
Prof. Dr. Akgün further stated that the graduation projects are an essential component of AGU's Industrial Engineering program, where students work on real-world problems under the guidance of academic and industrial advisors, and create significant value for companies through software, decision support systems, and models.
The event featured a music performance with songs by AGU students Sami Kaya, Aybala Kılıç, Güneş Karataş, Şafak Bera Şafak, Melih Öztorun, and Ufuk Karakaş, as well as dance performances by AGU students Şule Melemezoğlu and Harun Çetinkaya.
The fair was attended by faculty members and students from various universities, as well as executives, employees, and many guests from companies such as Abra Teknoloji, Ak Profil, Almila Mobilya, Arkopa, Aspilsan, Bellona, Boyteks, BRN Yatak, Denge Kulübü, Gümüşsuyu, Kaytim Akademi, Kilim Mobilya, Kipaş Holding, KOSGEB Kayseri Provincial Directorate, Kumtel, Metro Market, Mondi Home, Orta Anadolu, Proaks Yazılım, Serhat Mobilya, Simfer/Sersim, Somçelik, Spectrum Bilişim, Stryker, United Doors, and Yataş.